To ease drug shortages, a new study suggests looking to Canada

Of 104 reports of supply chain problems across dozens of drugs, Canada was 40% less likely to experience significant shortages than the U.S., a new study found, and the difference was largely attributed to the Canadian government's approach to the problem.

Between 2017 and 2021, regulators in the United States and Canada received the same number of reports of actual or potential shortages of the same 96 drugs. Within a year, 49% of the 104 corresponding reports received by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration were linked to a significant shortage, but only 34% of reports submitted to Health Canada for the same drugs reached that stage, according to the published study in JAMA.

The study also found that after combining reports of supply chain problems from the U.S. and Canada, the risk of shortages for so-called Tier 3 drugs in Canada was nearly halved. This refers to shortages that potentially have the greatest impact on Canada's drug supply and healthcare system. A special government committee oversees the process to assess the risks and impacts and take action.